Arsenal swoop for Raheem Sterling! Gunners complete last-minute loan deal for unwanted Chelsea star as Mikel Arteta makes deadline day addition to his attack

The English forward has found an escape route after he was told that he has no future at Stamford Bridge, having been cut from the squad by Enzo Maresca. Negotiations between the two clubs gained pace in the final hours of the deadline and Arsenal were able to make the last-minute addition.

The loan arrangement is not thought to include any sort of option or obligation to buy at the end of the season, so it doesn't end Sterling's Chelsea career completely. But it should mean that he at least gets a fresh chance in 2024-25 to play regularly for a team with ambitions of finally ending a two-decade title drought. Manchester United had also been heavily linked in the final days of the summer transfer window.

"It's an unbelievable feeling. It's really exciting," Sterling said. "[The move] is one where we kind of left it late but it's one I was hoping for. Looking at everything, I'm just, like, 'This is a perfect fit for me', and I'm super happy that we got it over the line. I spoke with [sporting director] Edu and I said you can see the real togetherness from Mikel [Arteta]'s time here and you see the journey the boys are on. You can see the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I'm looking to be a part of.".

Sterling won't be able to make his Arsenal debut this weekend due to the transfer not being processed before Friday's noon deadline for matchday registration. That he means he will go into the international break with an opportunity to get familiar with his new surroundings and could then get a baptism of fire when the Gunners face Tottenham in the north London derby next month.